Far
by gali-o
Summary: Summer has come again, the voice of fuurin sounds cheerily when the wind blows. The voice which tells that wind has come and brings both of happiness and sadness. The same voice which tells about the story that never told in the past…


Summer has come again, the voice of fuurin sounds cheerily when the wind blows

Summer has come again, the voice of fuurin sounds cheerily when the wind blows. The voice which tells that wind has come and brings both of happiness and sadness. The same voice which tells about the story that never told in the past…

Cring… Cring…

The voice echoed in the quiet town. Humans are rarely seen in the sharp midday these days. The weather never been this hot during summer and people prefer stay in their house; wait a bit longer until the hot sweeps by the wind.

But those two were exception. The lady in red kimono wipes the sweat which trails down in his red cheek. She silently follows the man in formal western clothes. The hot doesn't makes him slower his pace, he not even care with his skin which burning beneath the black cloth.

They keep walking as nothing more important than their destination. Her long face looks like there's nothing to be happy with, so do the man. They lost the reason to be happy with a year ago.

No longer after they pass the small town, they headed straight to the forest in front of them. The street was made by golden sands which sent hot radiance to their eyes. While the wind blows, the bell rings and flew away the dust, some of it landed on their cloth while the other disappear to another place.

There's just a small track there, looks like the villager rarely walks through the dog ways. The forest was bold, sun shines are hardly passes through the green leaves. Even so everything seems hotter since the wind won't bother blows there. They sweat even more in their already wet clothes.

XXX

_Summer, one year ago…_

_Cring… cring…_

_Fuurin rings as a wind blows. The voice of light metal against the glass material thickens the atmosphere in the room._

"_Why?" asks the oni-eater tengu._

_He stares at the body which lies right in front of him. There, his master lies with pale face of him, eyes closed. The face which usually looks innocent with fake but kind smiles plastered on it now looks so peace._

"_I can't understand this… Please explain it to me, Kantarou," begs the black haired tengu._

_He stands next to him, still unbelief with the man in front of him. The man which used to annoys everybody with innocent look of him. But too bad Kantarou didn't say a thing. He remains silent._

"_Hiks… hiks…" in the opposite side of him, Youko curled his body and sobs._

_She hides her face behind her palm. Near her, there is another woman with long face that hidden in her chestnut hair. She which known as Kantarou's editor let tears run down in her cheek._

"_I can't accept this… Please make me understand, Kantarou…"_

_Rosalie bites her lower lips from making such noisy sobs. With her father's arm around her shoulder, she feels like crying in his embrace. The eye glasses man didn't mind at all since she is his daughter after all. But he thanks her from doing so because he will lose control of himself if she does that. He can't bear the pain in his chest any longer._

"_Kantarou!! Please wake up and say sorry for making fool all of us here!! Open your eyes, Goddamn it!! Open your eyes and give me order, you stupid master!!"_

_Now Haruka leans down to face his master, he places his hands in his shoulder and slightly shakes the body. There's still no reply from him. His eyes still closed tightly, unwanted to wake. His thin lips rested in his perfect face._

"_I'm bring the herbs, just like you asked me before but why you…How dare you…Please say anything!! I'll do it!! I'll lick your back or else. I don't care if that ridiculous or what people might call it, just give me the order!!"_

"_That's enough, Oni-Eater, you'll make everything worse."_

_Sugino dared himself to stop from whatever might be done by his fellow. He knows that the oni-eater he knows could does something stupid that may cost his life. It's his duty as the same tengu-being to protect him. Not only for Haruka's sake, but also peoples that care about him._

"_No!! I won't stop unless he wakes up and make apologize to me!! I'll make him feels sorry!!"_

_The white winged tengu slaps Haruka's hand away from shakes the body further. He stares back at Haruka with deathly look._

"_He won't say anything. He is death already."_

_Haruka's eyes widen as the word has pull him back to bitter reality; fact that he afraid most, more than anything. The thought of it is scary enough for him, and now it was the reality…_

_Slowly, he turns to his former master which stays silent. The next thing, Haruka unfolded his black wings and fly away._

_Cring!!_

_His black wing accidentally hit the fuurin. The thin thread which makes it hanging in the window sill broken. The glass material falls upon wooden floor which covered with puddle of herbs._

XXX

Cring… Cring…

The cracked branch and the ringing bells were only voices that can be heard this long. Without any birds humming, without winds which usually playing with branch and leaves, the quiet seems eternity there.

The two of them stop in a place which looks like their destination.

The building no longer could be called as shrine. The wooden building almost consume by the forest it self, well hidden under the wild vegetative plants. There's no actual sign which says the already ruined building were shrine. But the big stone which divided in two more than enough to proof the place as shrine.

The places were abandoned years ago, Haruka doesn't know for sure. He doesn't know how long it was since he was sealed away.

Youko kneels down and pulls her load from her shoulder. She unfolded the white fabrics and pull out white ceramic with sealing paper wrapped on it's cap. She tighten her holds when her visions blurry due to tears.

"Kan'chaaan…" she whispers secretly.

But wind find a way to brings the small voice of her to Haruka's ear. The wind also plays the triple golden bells which hang lazily on his wrist. Give a shady ring.

XXX

_Summer one year ago, before Kantarou's death…_

_It was in the midday and the two men were rest lazily. They were sitting at the edge of house which sided with small yard where Youko often used it to dry the laundry under the sun._

"_Uhm… It's so hot here…Man, It would be better if we have something cold and sweet…" whim the folklorist in depression looks of him._

_Haruka look up to the window sill where the wind bell hanging lazily, there's no single wind pass the house. The weather was surprisingly very hot. Haruka look again to his master which opens his upper white kimono._

_Shyly, Haruka sees sweat trail down in his porcelain skin. Haruka could see his scar which across his chest too. He wonders what kind of accident that cause scar which sent him pain as sign of aradama-the evil spirit._

"_Haruka, wanna lick my back?" asks the red eyed folklorist with smirk plastered in his annoying face._

"_Wh…?!" The oni-eater tengu yells in surprise, his face blushes._

_But he could regain his cool manner quickly. He won't his master get advantage of him._

"_What all of the sudden? And why lick your back?" he asks with more calm voice._

"_You like shining object, don't you?"_

"_Yes I'm. But it has nothing to do with licking your back," Haruka reply coldly which hard to do under such circumstances. He thinks that the hot makes Kantarou lose his sanity._

"_Of course it does. My back can shining under the sun," said Kantarou still in his fake innocent smile._

_Cring… cring…_

_The fuurin rings cheerily as its find wind to play with._

"_Just see."_

_Kantarou half runs to the yard with back against him. Haruka hates to admit it but Kantarou's right, his back sparkle under the sun shine. The wind flows smoothly playing with his silver hair. Haruka blushes even redder when he thinks more about his master._

"_I bet you like it now," says Kantarou still with innocent but devilish in the same time._

_Haruka which hides his face on the shadow of the sill reject abruptly._

"_No!! I do like shining object but I won't lick your back. That's ridiculous."_

_Haruka's eyes pointing to Kantarou's body. His back does look sparkle as he says. No, Kantarou himself always emits some sparks which lighten up his heart. That's why Haruka feels comfortable around him. And now he addicted to him._

"_Aa… I thought that you wouldn't. That's fine," said Kantarou with understand smile now._

_Haruka surprises. For a moment, Kantarou looks far from him. It's not that he hate the ridiculous idea, oppositely he wants to try it. He has his prestige and honor; only for Kantarou he should act calm. Besides, Kantarou always orders him whether he likes it or not. He sure that Kantarou will do the same this time; orders him to lick his sparkle back, but he didn't this time._

_Kantarou walks back to his former place, "The winds so cool…"_

_He sits back beside the oni-eater tengu and lays his head in Haruka's shoulder. Haruka sends him a stare in confusion, it's out of Kantarou's habit to be sweet and look weak even though he is sweet and weak all the time._

"_I'm a bit sleepy now, please let me be like this for a moment."_

_Haruka nod in silent which actually useless since Kantarou can't see it._

_There was silence between them. Only fuurin gives a ringing. The silence was brief but on the short moment they built another understanding between them. They create another bond that could be feeling only by them, bond which tied them tighter than the name-contract they made when they met for the first time._

_Kantarou opens his eyes. With his bright red eyes, he looks against Haruka's eyes. Once again he looks far by talking about something that Haruka doesn't understand, "I don't have any regret now. The only thing left is both of you."_

_Haruka hates this feeling; it's like Kantarou going to somewhere else, out of his reach. He lifts up his face, against the taller tengu beside him. He put his palm on Haruka's cheek._

"_But you are strong, far far strong…Haruka. I believe you can surpass this."_

_Haruka is about to ask what Kantarou mean by that. But before he could do it, Kantarou bring Haruka's face lower and places his own lips against him. The oni-eater tengu can resist the gift, he accept it eagerly._

XXX

"Kaaan'chaaaan… hiks hiks…" Youko take the porcelain in her embrace.

Her tears drop fast. It seems she lose control of herself.

"Stop it, Youko. Anything we done won't bring him back," Haruka says it coldly.

"Youko and I bring the ashes of your corpse, as you ordered."

Still in sobs, Youko pull off the paper seal and open the cap. Then she handed it over to oni-eater tengu.

Haruka accept it and takes small amount of white dust from the ceramic pot.

"This is for the ancient spirits and god that protects the land…"

Haruka pour the white pulverize dust and let it taken away by the wind. The bells ringing as he moves his hand.

Cring… cring…

From behind, Youko can't stop her cries. Somehow she hopes that she melted in the forest, so that she musn't see the sad look on Haruka's face.

"This is for Ichinomiya ancestors that guard the land from generation to generation…"

Cring… cring…

She knows that Haruka just pretended to be strong this whole time after Kantarou's death. She should admit that Haruka almost succes on bullying everyone but she knows that he can't lie to himself.

"This is for those youkai that stay in this place…"

Cring.. cring…

She knows how the dark winged tengu feels, cause she feels the same way. Their master has taken good care of them for whole time, giving them sweet time they had spent together. And now leave them alone along with the sadness burried in their heart.

"This is for every good relatives and friends…"

Cring…

"And this is… for youkai that once had had been your servant…"

Youko can't stay any longer. She runs away right after that. She can't stand against Haruka any longer. The pain drawn well in his face along with anger and feeling of defeated by fate.

"With that there's nothing else that bond us, I have finished my last duty."

XXX

_Summer one year ago, before Kantarou's death…_

_He suddenly stops. His face's color changes for a moment._

"_What's wrong?" asks oni-eater tengu, aware of something that might happen._

_Kantarou looks back at him. Then put on his scary face._

"_Haruka I forget something really important!!"_

"_What was that?" Haruka asks curiously._

"_I promise Lady Ibuki medical herbs from places that scatter in entire Japan a month ago but I haven't got single of them yet. Besides, I have to finish the article this week…"_

"_SHIMATTAAaaaa!!" Kantarou scream in frustration._

"_That's why I need you help, Haruka…" This time Kantarou turn his innocent face against his oni-eater tengu._

"_Can you get them all for me?"_

"_What?! Hell No!! Your promise doesn't concern with me!!"_

"_Haruka!! Get those 27 different kind of magical medicine herbs for me!"_

_Then the spell works, there's no way Haruka could go against the order since he is tightly bond by name-contract._

_With his clumsy face, Haruka fly out from the window. His wings touch the wind bell which caused it ringing for several time._

_Meanwhile, the folklorist's body falls right in his place. With hands buried in his pain chest, he knows his time will ends up soon. Cold sweat runs in his temple._

"_Gomenasai ne… Haru…ka…" with that, he closed his eyes._

_It was a coincidence when Youko finds Kantarou collapse. She abruptly brings him to hospital since she knows there's nothing evil around or the bells would ringing._

_When Kantarou finally opens his eyes, she almost cries in relief._

"_Kan'chaan! You make me worry so much…" protest the fox lady._

_She hugs her master, buried her face on his chest._

"_I'm fine, Youko. Don't worry," Kantarou comforts her with his warm smile while tapping his temple._

"_What's doctor said?" asks the folklorist already aware of his healthy._

"_Uhm, he said something about heart attack, it sounds scary, Kan'chan."_

"_Heart attack? Hmm… never heard before, maybe I'll ask the doctor later. But Youko'chan I have something to ask you. Make sure that Haruka doesn't know about this, 'kay?" asks the red eyed man with serious look._

_Youko wonder what are they going to do. She knows whatever it is; it must be something important which connected with the black winged tengu. But in the end, she gave him reassuring nod._

_They don't waste much time by stay at the hospital any longer. Kantarou persist that his condition were perfect, he wants to go home no matter what. Since they get back to the house, Youko gather everything Kantarou needed. The goods were easy to find since Ichinomiya ancestor often connected with shamanic ceremony._

_Youko knock at the door before enters the room, only to find his red eyed master._

"_Kan'chan, preparation complete. Now, what should I do?" asks the lady in red with worried eyes when she saw Kantarou face look serious this time._

"_Arigatou ne, Youko'chan. But, uhm can you go to sent this letter to Sugino'sama? Please wait for his reply, but no need to hurry. You may enjoy the journey."_

"_But, Kan'chan. What are you going to do alone here with those equipments?"_

"_Nothing particular, I just want to see all of them for before I sent it away. Kiyo'sama must be like it."_

"_But, what if you collapse again?"_

"_Ha..ha..ha.. Don't worry. I'll let you know if something happen."_

_Youko frown her eye brows. She wonders how the folklorist makes her know if they separated away._

"_Now, now, Youko'chan…would you go please?"_

_Youko can't resist against the order. So there she was, on the trip to Sugino's place near Kiyo'sama's shrine._

_After Youko left the house, Kantaoru close the door and enters the room one by one. His red eyes wander around the every space there; recalls memory that he spent there with the others. The first time he tamed Youko, and those memory flows out of his hands._

_The past that never come back which make it precious. Kantarou touches his manuscript, he already finished the last work so Reiko'chan mustn't worry about the next article. It has been a long time since he was given a chance to work with the editor._

_At least he reaches the room which filled with glassy sparks thingy; the room that belong to black winged tengu. They often have little fight, enough to makes live better than just attend haunted places._

_It's a good thing that Haruka decided to stay in his place even though after he regains his memory back. Somehow he still scare that Haruka would leave him again someday. But now he realizes that the one who should leave the place is him._

"_Gomen ne, Youko'chan, Haruka, but I need to concentrate at this. I'm afraid that my concentration distracted while both of you are around. I do this because I love you all… Please forgive me…"_

_Cring…cring…_

_Kantarou lifts his hands and folded his palm together in front of his chest then begin to cast spell. Golden shine emits from his entire body as he keep his scarlet eyes closed._

"_Rin.. Hei.. Tou.. Shya.. Kai.. Jin.. Retsu.. Zai.. Zen.. With this I broke the name-contract with youkai that followed me!! Youko and Haruka, the name means nothing again now!!"_

_Tring.. tring.. tring.._

_The ring doesn't sounds cheerily that day. The sky's cloudy like rain going to falls soon. The ring that echoed in looks-like-empty house._

_In a far place where Haruka still in the middle of his herbs search, he feels something thingy in his heart._

"_Haruka'chan…" calls his master somehow near him._

_Haruka surprised but when he turns his head, he sees nobody behind him. He wonders if that was just his imagination._

_In Sugino's place…_

"_A letter? For me?" asks the white winged tengu._

_Youko nods and look back at him. Without any suspicious, he reads the letter and a glint of surprise drawn in his face._

"_What was that, Sugino?" asks the fox youkai._

_Before he answers that, Youko feel something in his heart, like she has a vision about Kantarou. She knows something happen but she doesn't have any clue with what's happen._

"_Sugino, something happen with Kan'chan!" Youko scream in fear, afraid that he is collapse or something worse._

"_Yes, Youko'chan. He said that he broke the name contract with you and Haruka as well."_

"_Ee?! But why all of sudden?"_

_Sugino closed his eyes. He takes a deep breath. He thinks it's good to break the name contract and give freedom for the fox youkai and the tengu but… Break the contract just because he knows his death will come soon is a bad news. Nobody likes losing anything that precious for them._

"_Because he loves you, Youko'chan…" that's all he can say with bitter smile in his face._

"_But he loves me all the time… I'm sure he does… He loves everybody… What do you mean by that, Sugino'san?! Sugino'san!!"_

"_In this letter, he wants me to tell his last order. He wants you and Haruka brings the ashes of his corpse to the shrine that once belongs to Ichinomiya family."_

"_What are you talking about, Sugino'san?! What kind of non sense is this?! Why he asks you? Why doesn't he teel it by himself?!"_

"_Because he already broke the name-contract that bonds both of you and oni-eater."_

XXX

He stares at the cracked stone right in front of their eyes. First time he met with silver haired master was because he release him from the seal. The same master who gave him name 'Haruka'.

He remembered it, during the day when Minamoto going to break the name-contract. That day Kantarou says the reason why he awakes the black winged tengu. That he adores him so much, that Kantarou wants to become stronger, that he wants met with him no matter what.

"If you want see me that much, why you leave me, KANTAROU?! Is everything doesn't matter anymore?!"

"Now, what am I supposed to do?! Answer me!!"

"Don't you care if I going wild and become like who am I in the past?! Ne.. KANTAROOOOooou!!"

XXX

It was written in the past manuscript that there is a strong being which known as Tengu in depth of forest. Unlike the other tengu, this one has black reddish wings. The villagers believe that this tengu protects something precious.

This tengu can be seen in the same place in the middle of forest. The tengu won't hesitate attack people when it's feels something that endanger the place. In a day time without wind, the witnesses say that they hear a ringing they sure this is the bells that hangs on tengu's left hand. At first the bell would ring and echoed between the wood, and soon after that, a black reddish feather would fall and the tengu will appear with angry on its face.

XXX

Summer, many years after Kantarou's death…

Haruka sits on the cracked stone. He buried his sadness long time ago; Youko had leaved right after the prosession, he doesn't know how long it was. Now he was all alone.

"Kantarou…"

The voice escaped from the dried stained blood lips. He is enough of crying, he tired of his grief as the one he called was never appear. The one this that left behind is anger.

Cring…cring…

He doesn't know that he will miss him this much, even though it has been so many years. He feels like his heart was torn to pieces anytime he remembers his former master. He is so deep in thought that he doesn't notice that the bells ringing.

"If everything turn to be like this, it's better that I haven't met you in the first place, idiots…!"

"Who you call as idiot, Haruka?"

The black winged tengu lift his face. In front of him, he saw figure of the scarlet eyed folklorist he knew. There Kantarou hovers in the mid air, in front of him. It's his spirits, Haruka no doubt about it.

"Kan…"

"What's with that face Haruka, it's like you see ghost. Oh, my, I'm forgotten that I'm ghost already. He..he..he.." said Kantarou cheerily.

Haruka didn't say a thing, he just hug him so suddenly after become quiet for brief time.

"Kantarou…" was all he could say with tremble voice.

Haruka can sense it, the same sensation he feels every time he somehow near his former master. The same scent that he missed so much for a long time. One part of his heart ignore his presence, afraid that it just his delusion.

"Gomenasai nee, Haruka. I think that I'm able to rest in peace after I broke the name-contract but I was wrong. I'm concern with you so much; you make me worried all the time that I can't rest peacefully."

But everything seems so real. The Kantarou that appear right here now emits the same spark as Kantarou he knows who died years ago.

"Why don't you appear earlier, you idiots?!" asks him with face still buried on Kantarou's shoulder.

He tapped Haruka's spine and hold him back. It's been a long time since he left his comrades behind. It's been a long tie since he saw the black winged tengu from far away, he's so happy able to meet him after so many years passed.

"I think that you'll notice me by those ringing, but you didn't. I also hope that you'll recover from the pain immediately but…"

Kantarou breaks the tight hug and sees through the darkness that scattered in Haruka's eyes. He could see sparks in his eyes, the anger no longer exist, there's just happiness and warm feeling inside.

"…looks like I'm wrong this time."

Haruka leans closer just to inhale Kantarou once more through the kiss. As he thought, he feels the same like those years behind, no single things has change in him; except the fact that he is no longer a human and gives slight different taste.

"This time forward, don't ever leave me again," asks the black winged tengu.

The folklorist just gives him nods, "for sure."

…ends…

I wanna give this story title that contains 'bell' or 'ringing' thingy but when I open the already exist fanfic, there's already one with 'ringing bell'-title by XXXonna so I change the title.

Uhm, After bit shocked with Suzu'chan's death in the last episode, I'm a bit mellow-or maybe it's just me who feels sad this week lately- Then I think what if Kantarou leave them one day? If I was Haruka, perhaps I'll curse Ichinomiya's family for the rest of my life Anyway…

What do you think about this one, the fanfic I mean? And of course this is my first Tactics's fanfic so I hope this is nice enough as an opening. Please leave your review… pretty please…

Thankie muchie for reading!!


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